Chapter 453: A Laugh that terrifies [3]

"Ha...! HAHe!"

The laughter was different from what it had been before.

If earlier it sounded restrained...

Now, all restraints had been thrown out the window. The laugh grew even more deranged as the Jester’s body hunched further and further, the mask covering its face twitching with a madness so palpable it made the world seem to pause around it.

But it wasn’t the Jester’s changes that made everyone look at it in horror.

It was what the laughter brought that made the Paragons stop dead in their tracks.

Cra Crack!

A Paragon’s body twitched, its bones jutting up and down beneath its skin as its entire structure began to change.

The movements were small at first, barely noticeable, but they quickly grew sharper, the sounds of bones grinding against one another slipping through the air.

Its skin tightened, then stretched, then tightened again, unable to keep up with the shifting shape beneath. The Paragon tried to speak, but only a strained breath left its throat, cut short as its jaw locked into a new angle.

Within moments, its silhouette no longer resembled the person it had been.

Its arms lengthened unevenly, fingers fusing, splitting, then bending backward in ways that no human joint could manage. The spine arched, pushing the torso into a hunched, unnatural shape, while its head tilted to one side, settling into a position that looked disturbingly deliberate.

By the time the mist cleared, the Paragon had disappeared entirely.

In its place... was a completely different creature.

One whose pressure was enough to alarm the other Paragons as they stared at one another, their faces unable to hide their shock.

In the many years that they had been doing this job...

This was the first time they had witnessed a scene like this.

A scene in which an anomaly had turned another person into another anomaly.

It was enough to send chills down their very spine.

"Oh, man..."

But despite their stupor and confusion, the Paragons were quick to move, their bodies dashing away as they distanced themselves from the ’anomaly’. Instead, they immediately focused their attention on the Jester as they started communicating with one another.

"What do you think happened? What’s with the sudden change?"

"I’m not sure."

Ramirez replied, his nodes churning as a white glow enveloped the newfound anomaly, covering its entire body and preventing it from moving.

"I can’t determine its strength, but for now, I should be able to contain it. But that’s not the problem here."

Ramirez’s tone turned grim as he looked at the Jester.

"Ha... HAHE! he!"

Hearing the distorted laugh that continued to echo from the Jester’s body, his expression sank.

"...I don’t know how it managed to do that, and that’s what worries me. I do not fear what I know. I only fear what I don’t know."

His words brought a moment of silence as the laughter continued to echo in the background.

While none of them felt any major changes in their bodies, they did feel a slight tingle in their nodes.

It was easy to ignore at first, but the more they used their nodes, the more pronounced the feeling became, and as they exchanged glances, they soon understood.

"Don’t overexert your nodes! The further you push your node, the more likely it will be to take over! Keep your control to a manageable level!"

"Sandy! Block all of the noise! Make sure not to—"

Samuel’s words were quickly put to a stop.

Before he could even share his commands, the Jester’s entire body trembled further. At the same time, Ramirez’s expression changed drastically.

"Shit! Shit—!"

All eyes turned on the Paragon that had turned into an anomaly.

It was there that they witnessed the white film covering its body begin to thin. Ramirez reacted instinctively, his nodes churning harder as he tried to reinforce the seal, but as he did, Samuel’s expression shifted drastically.

"Shit! Don’t do—!"

It was too late.

By the time Samuel spoke, Ramirez’s Nodes had already churned faster.

This was also the moment that his expression changed.

"Ha! HA! He...!!"

The laughter that echoed in the background grew even more pronounced, and Ramirez froze on the spot, his eyes wide as he looked at the others, his face turning pale as his lips opened to mumble, "Oh."

By the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.

Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

A series of ’cracks’ echoed from within Ramirez’s head as his eyes turned completely red, the blood vessels within his eyes exploding at once.

It felt like a long time had passed.

But not even a moment had elapsed as the world around them seemed to freeze.

Crack!

His body began to change a moment later, enlarging as pieces of stone formed across his skin, spreading quickly until both of his hands were covered by gauntlet-like layers. A heavy, terrifying pressure radiated from him as the transformation continued.

B... Rank.

No... A Rank!

The faces of the Paragons sank.

They hesitated.

Not because of the power that the anomaly exhibited, but because of the Jester.

In that moment...

They all shared the same thought.

’If I use my node, will I also turn?’

Despite being the absolute best elites in the world, this was the first time they had witnessed something like this. None of them understood what was going on, except that the anomaly fed on the sudden overuse of their nodes.

The answer was clear.

They had to keep the usage of their nodes to a minimum. But what was the minimum? Not only that, but with them not being able to use their nodes to the absolute best, it was the same as nerfing them heavily.

"HEha! HeHE!"

A heavy sense of dread descended upon the group in that moment, their faces turning slightly pale as they looked at one another.

But the moment of hesitation only lasted a brief second.

There was no turning back.

They couldn’t turn back.

And as such, they quickly focused their attention on the Jester.

"I’ve already contacted the others outside. They will be coming shortly. They’ve already suppressed most of the anomalies outside. I’ve also relayed to them the situation over here. Just don’t overdraw your node. So long as you don’t overdraw then..."

Not even a few seconds after Samuel began speaking, the Jester suddenly stopped laughing, bringing the nearby surroundings to a still silence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody except the Jester, as it brought its hand away from its face and turned to look in their direction.

No...

It was looking elsewhere.

Towards a different direction.

None of them understood what it was looking at, but that brief moment of silence was enough to make everyone grow unsettled. The Paragon’s body began to move subsequently, their nodes churning moderately as they tried to attack, but at the same time they did, the Jester’s head turned.

Jingle~ Jingle~

The bells at the top of its head jingled as its lips pulled into a tighter smile.

And shortly after—

"Ha! Ha! HA! HEHEHE! HA!"

"Ha! Ha! HA! Hehehe! HA!"

"HAHA! Ha! hehehe—HA!"

"Ha—ha—HA! Hehehehe! HA!"

It began to laugh once more.

But this time, its laugh was a little different.

It was cruder. More deranged, and most importantly...

"HAHAHA!"

It was louder.

Loud enough for everyone within the vicinity to hear.

And subsequently...

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

Cra Crack! Cra Crack!

A series of cracking sounds began to echo throughout the surroundings.

Everything froze in that moment.

Be it the anomalies, the Paragons, the agents of the BUA, the Guild Masters, or even the viewers.

In that moment, all focus was on the laughing Jester.

Question marks appeared on a few; their minds struggled to process what was happening, but in the next moment, all questions faded.

What replaced it was a look of true dread.

For...

Even more anomalies began to appear.